Full of Words. Full to the Brim.

The other main reason is that I’ve (FINALLY) got the motivation to get back into my re-write and have put off the procrastination to get this draft done. I’ve got a drive that I haven’t had for over six months. It’s like welcoming an old friend back into your home after they’ve been away on a world trip. So the spare time I’ve had has been writing, editing and polishing that as I work my way through it. I’m thinking I’ll take some time off work to really knock it on its head. With that in mind, I’m going to keep this post short so I can get back to work on it.

But I’ve had a fairly full calendar of events, too. I’m now volunteering for Writer’s Victoria, which I’m thrilled about. I was asked by Melbourne City Library to contribute to a Queer reading circle during MidSummer because of my work putting together the #AusQueerYA tumblr (which I’m hoping to transform into something amazing, and more user friendly, but more on that later). Also during MidSummer it was great to hear Will Kostakis speak of his journey to publication and coming out. My YA’ll For Brunch? Bookclub is growing nicely. While I love it because I get to catch up with friends and talk books, I also love it because people have been coming along even though they don’t know anyone else there.

I saw Ane Brun live at the Playhouse and it was amazing. It was the first concert I’ve been to by myself and I may have cried half the show, but it was beautiful. If you don’t know her stuff, then you should absolutely look it up. Funnily enough, Judith Lucy was sitting directly behind me at the show and I was thinking how (paying as little attention to everything as I do) I hadn’t heard from her in ages. Then, the very next week, Bryan wins tickets to see her do a show being recorded for Stan, which was hilarious. So we were in the same room twice within a fortnight.

Finally, this month has been filled with #LoveOzYA goodness. I’ve been hosting the #LoveOzYAChallenge on Instagram and that’s been getting some fantastic contributions. On top of that, Danielle Binks has stepped down from the #LoveOzYA committee and from the position of Chair, and I have taken the reigns, as it were. She, and the committee has done great things up to now, so I hope I can continue that great work and help grow #LoveOzYA further, supporting readers find local authors and celebrating Australian YA literature.

On that note, I’ll leave you with an Ane Brun track, and a wave as I go back to my writing.

*Waves*